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<p>Child abuse is an abhorrent crime no matter when or where it occurs. The Government
is clear that if child abuse takes place, it must be thoroughly and properly investigated,
and those responsible are arrested and brought to <br>justice. It is vital that victims
feel empowered to come forward to report abuse<br><br>All chief constables have committed
to a policing action plan that aims to raise the standards in tackling child sexual
exploitation so that the police are providing a consistently strong approach to protecting
vulnerable young <br>people. The National Policing Lead for child protection and abuse
investigation has taken action to revise the action plan to take account of the learning
from the Professor Alexis Jay report in Rotherham and other recent publications. <br><br>The
Home Secretary has written to all chief constables to ask them to take on board the
lessons from the Jay report into the failings in Rotherham, and from the rolling HMIC
inspections into how forces are protecting children.<br><br>The Crown Prosecution
Service (CPS) and the College of Policing have issued guidance for police in relation
to child abuse and exploitation. The guidance aims to move the focus of investigations
away from testing the credibility of <br>victims onto the credibility of the allegation
and ensuring victims are listened to by the police. In addition, a joint National
Policing Lead and CPS review panel was established last year. The national panel re-examines
<br>historical cases of sexual abuse where a decision was made that no further action
would be taken and identify whether any issues require further exploration and investigation.<br><br>We
must never accept a situation where police forces and other agencies fail in their
fundamental duty of care towards vulnerable children.</p><p> </p>
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